Arsenal: Deadline Day Roller Coaster!! How Did It Feel?!

Do you remember the day’s when you were young when your parents tell you that you’re being taken to your first theme park where they have proper rollercoasters. Not your poxy little ones at Southend Pier that just go round in a circle and dip up and little and bounce down a bit.

After the rumours from Tuesday about the shoring up of defence with a 6’6” German and a Brazilian left back with wizards feet Wednesday was being embraced with great anticipation.

Yet things started slowly and it wasn’t until late afternoon that we started to hear that we were in for two midfielders – Yossi Benayoun and Mikel Arteta. Great, we all thought. Arsene’s listened to the pleas of the masses and he’s trying to fill the void left by the absences of Nasri and Fabregas. Two players of Premiership experiences and both creative in their style of play.

That was until midway through the evening we heard that the Arteta move was off. Mixed reports as to whether or not the clubs couldn’t agree a fee or whether it was in fact personal terms that had led to a breakdown in negotiations. Therefore, the conclusion was the Arsenal were playing with their usual pokerface and withdrew from negotiations.

There was discontent across the Arsenal twitter world. Suddenly Benayoun wasn’t enough and certainly not just on a 1 year loan deal. There was contempt in the air and the summer transfer window was nearly confined to the world of “could have beens” and the usual anti-climax of signing yet another out of favour Chelsea playing prior to the deadline (re. Diarra and Gallas).

But like the momentary eye in the rollercoaster storm, we’d only reached the end of the first leg and with an hour left in the window the train starting rolling backwards again and the Arteta move was back on! Hoorah, we all cried! Come on Arsene, sort if out before the Premier League fax machine runs out of paper, we can save our season if we can just get this one player from Everton who had had mixed fortunes recently on the injury front.

And so Big Ben chimed, Jim White’s excitement reached explosive proportions and…….and…..did it go through?……..it did?………yes! Everything is alright in the world, forget the 8-2 drubbing at the weekend, forget that we are 8 points behind the leaders with only 3 games played already. We have some players and they’re not still studying their A-levels.

To be true though, the shopping list requirements have been clear for the past 2 years – 1 goalkeeper, 2 centre backs, 2 midfielders and another striker with at least 20 goals in his bag.

Szczesny can fill the GK role if he can add maturity to his already maturing years.

We could potentially have a 1st choice back four of Santos – Mertesacker – Vermaelan – Sagna. These line-up can stand up on it own to some of the best.

If we needed 2 midfielders before the summer then we needed another 4 prior the season start. However, with the emergence of Frimpong, less petulance from Song and Gervinho, Wilshere remaining fit and Diaby and Arshavin potentially finding fitness and from the addition of Arteta and Benayoun are good solid additions.

Up front, Young is untested really. He’s led the line at Monaco in the past season but they were recently relegated. He’s the captain of his national squad but how competitive that team really is would need to be questioned.

So what does this crop of players provide the current squad.?

They certainly bring experience and maturity with the ages covering the range of 26 – 29 years old. Mertesacker is a great signing in terms of his international experience (75 caps for Germany at the tender age of 26 – eat that Gary Cahill).

Apparently we now have an inventor and genius in Yossi Benayoun whose other talents involve the creative design for the Israeli Coca Cola bottle. Well, that was what Wikipedia was stating last night but funny that id doesn’t anymore.

And Mikel Arteta? He grew up in the Barcelona youth academy before plying his trade elsewhere? Was his signing truly the lure of Champions League football or could it be that he wants to be next summers perennial Catalan target? Oh, the cynicism!

We now enter the mundane period of International football and to hope and pray that all the players return fit and well. Some come down from last nights excitement and with a balance still of £50M+, roll on the january transfer window. See Arsene, you can have a bit of excitement in your life! There are reasons to be confident again but maybe not too optimistic.